I think maybe the b*tching is about the limit of free lessons. It's nice to get stuff free, and it is out there to find, but if you don't know what to look for, you can miss stuff.

For myself, I prefer an organized and trusted source for learning. I paid by the month several times before settling in (and had been subscribed to other paying sites as well). I have just purchased a 3rd one-year (at least third) subscription. I will let that speak for itself.

As for the forums, yeah, it's a little dry, but the paid section is really what counts, and the instructors are generally excellent with communications. Something you won't get much of posting questions to some YouTube guy.